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About The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 13, 2019)
LOCAL FRIDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2019 CEREMONY Continued from Page 1A with her and her husband, who was on hospice during the last 11 months of his life. She shared what a relief it was to have someone there to help her. “You always question whether you were doing something right or wrong,” Addleman said. “I just could not have done it without them.” Grande Ronde Hospital provides home health care services for those who are sick, disabled or just leav- ing the hospital to help make the THE OBSERVER — 5A BYLENGA “Many people, when they’re terminally ill and in the last few months of their life, don’t want to go to the hospital. We allow them the opportunity to spend their time at home with those they love.” Continued from Page 1A admiration for state Sen. Bill Hansell, R-Athena, and his participation in a nine-day walkout to deny the Democratic-controlled Senate a quorum to vote on a cap-and-trade bill. Bylenga said he liked how Hansell was willing to put his reputation on the line to protect local interests. Bylenga said he also sup- ports the Second Amend- ment and wants to prevent small businesses from being overtaxed. “I don’t want to be taxing businesses and forcing them to leave Oregon,” he said. On the other hand, Bylenga said he wants the state to do more to help — Ann Schaefer, a licensed clinical social worker at Grande Ronde Hospital transition back into daily life easier. Services include physical, speech and occupational therapy, pain manage- ment and personal needs assistance. For those who are terminally ill, hospice care is available, such as palliative symptom management and bereavement care, spiritual care and respite care for a person’s regular caregivers. The program at Grande Ronde consists of nurses and volunteers trained to help those who need it in the comfort of their home. “Many people, when they’re termi- nally ill and in the last few months of their life, don’t want to go to the hospital,” Schaefer said. “We allow them the opportunity to spend their time at home with those they love.” low-income families and fi nd a way to bring down health care costs, although he wasn’t committed to a particular policy. Although Bylenga is a student in Portland, he said his permanent residence remains in Pendleton. Bylenga said he’s on track to graduate from college in June and plans to move back to Pendleton full time after that. Bylenga said he is assembling a team to help with his campaign, including some sort of role for his father, local defense attorney Herman Bylenga. The younger Bylenga said his father has experience running the campaign for former Washington state Rep. Doug Sayan. Staff photo by Sabrina Thompson These titles suggested by Cook Memorial Library and Looking Glass Books are available for check out at the library to start your winter reading off right. BOOKS Staff photo by Sabrina Thompson Marge Addleman of La Grande received an angel ornament Thursday night in remembrance of her husband, Ray Addleman, who died Christmas morning last year. COMPETE Continued from Page 1A them from us, they would not have had to pay that fee,” Appleton said. The service at Alpine Archery not only saves people money in the end, it also can protect them from injury. Appleton explained he and his wife make sure their customers receive the proper size arrows for their bows. “If you use the wrong arrow with your bow, it can blow up in your face,” said Appleton, who added this is a rare occurrence but always a possibility. He said the emphasis on helping archers has changed how the owners view their shop. “We think of ourselves as a service business that also sells retail products,” he said. At The Mountain Works Bicycles, owned by Whit and Mavis Hartz, service also is a big spoke in their wheel as they face Amazon’s intimi- dating presence. “Service is half of what we do,” Whit Hartz said. The La Grande store own- er noted bicycles purchased from Amazon do not come assembled. He said people who put their own bikes together may end up with a ride that is not comfortable. For example, some people purchase mountain bikes they plan to ride only around town. This can be uncomfort- able because mountain bikes have low handlebars. “We can raise the stem to make the handlebars higher,” Hartz said. “We adapt bikes to fi t individual needs.” The Mountain Works also sells skis and provides ski equipment service. Everyone purchasing skis from the store receives free waxing and installation of bindings. Hart, a certifi ed ski bind- ing technician, said proper installation of bindings is critical to safety. At Arrow Associated Stores in La Grande, which carries appliances, furniture, electronics and lawn and garden items, owner Kurt Peterson said his business has Amazon beat in terms of service and price. He said he will often show his custom- ers the prices Amazon charg- es for the same products he sells and he almost always charges lower prices. All products purchased at Arrow have warranties for free repair work at the store. “We are one of the few retailers that have a full- time service department in the area,” Peterson said. Arrow also is boosted by its website, where people can purchase items. He said the site draws people into his store where they make purchases. Sometimes it works in reverse. Peterson explained on occasion some- one will come in, see an item and then purchase it that evening on Arrow’s website. Still others place orders online and then come in and pick it up. Service is increasingly important in today’s digital age as the operation of elec- tronic items becomes more complex. This provides stores with a greater opportunity to beat Amazon by offering service, said Mike Mallory, the owner of La Grande Ste- reo and Music. He cited car stereos as an example. “They are diffi cult to set up because they are all com- puterized. It is not like the old days when you put in an eight-track (a tape player in- stalled in cars in the 1970s),” Mallory said. To assist motorists with this challenge, La Grande Stereo and Music installs car stereos seven days a week. The store offers installa- tion and repair service for all of its products including electric guitars. It is not uncommon for customers to bring in stereos and musical instruments they bought on- line that are too complicated for them to set up. “We can make (the prod- ucts) perform like they are supposed to,” Mallory said. The rise of Amazon is blamed by many for the fall- ing number of bookstores in the United States, but those which are succeeding include The Archives Book Store in La Grande. It sells used books, magazines, board games, records and comic books. The store’s owner, Walter Osterloh, credits his success to lower prices than Amazon’s, a wide variety of titles and a book trade-in program. People who bring in books get credit they can use to buy books from Archives. Osterloh’s son, Tim, credits Archives’ success to the remarkable knowledge his father has of books, one he readily shares with custom- ers. Tim Osterloh is the owner of Clank-Tronix, which offers electronics repairs within the Archives store. He said Clank-Tronix is able to com- pete with Amazon because of the service it provides. For example, if someone brings in an old Nintendo console he can supply the cables and other accessories needed to make it operational. Trent Bray, the owner of The Bobolink — a birding supply store that also sells disc golf equipment and beer — is an avid birdwatcher who has spotted 295 bird species in Union County. He said his business has a number of advantages that help it compete with online companies such as Amazon. For instance, people who purchase bird seed from his store don’t have to worry about it arriving in bags that split open during shipping, which periodically happens and causes a mess. He also noted people who buy discs for disc golf from his store know exactly how much they weigh, knowl- edge that matters to those involved in the sport. Bray said people ordering discs online risk getting one with a weight different than what they ordered. Just 5 or 10 grams difference can alter how a disc fl ies in relation to the golfer’s power and technique. Bray added that a person buying a disc online does not get to touch it fi rst to see if it would be comfortable to toss. He compared this to the process of being able to try on a pair of shoes before buying them. The Bobolink owner said despite Amazon’s growing presence, he believes there will always be a place for unique brick-and-mortar re- tail stores with owners who are passionate about what they are selling. Continued from Page 1A with “Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares” by Rachel Cohn and David Leviathan and “My True Love Gave to Me: Twelve Holiday Stories” ed- ited by Stephanie Perkins. Cook Memorial Library’s teen services librarian Celine Vandervlugt recommended “Children of Virtue and Vengeance” by Tomi Adey- emi, “Starsight” by Brandon Sanderson, “Wayward Son” by Rainbow Rowell, “Super- nova” by Marissa Meyer and “The Book of Dust” series by Philip Pullman. The Looking Glass Books owner’s suggestion for teen reading was to begin “The Mortal Instruments” series by Cassandra Clare. “It will keep you on the edge of your seat, and it will be hard to put down, so I hope your winter reading hideaway is cozy,” Maszk said. Adult books “Uncommon Type” by Tom Hanks is a collection of short stories recom- mended by Cook Memorial Library’s director Kip Rob- erson. The New York Times Best Seller — includes stories of family, celebrity and romance. It also is available at the library as an audio book. “If you don’t have much time but you still want something to read, these short stories are satisfying- ly perfect,” Roberson said. “‘Uncommon Type’ is fi lled with delicious bite-sized stories of literary brilliance for those quiet hours before bed.” Another suggestion in adult reading is “The Inn at Shining Waters” series by Melody Carlson. Laura Hancock from JaxDog Cafe and Books recommended this book because of Carl- son’s ability to capture the Cascades of Oregon. “Her books will inspire you to visit this part of Or- egon if you haven’t already,” Hancock said. As Ben Aaronovitch said, “In the winter she curls around a good book and dreams away the cold.” PACIFIC NORTHWEST ALASKA, WASHINGTON, OREGON, IDAHO, MONTANA 5($&+PLOOLRQ3DFLÀF1RUWKZHVWHUQHUVZLWKMXVW2QH&DOO PNDC CLASSIFIED - Daily Newspapers 29 newspapers - 1,187,980 circulation Number of words: 25 z Extra word cost: $10 Cost: $540 (Runs 3 consecutive days including wkds.) PNDN 2x2 DISPLAY - Daily Newspapers 27 newspapers - 1,016,864 circulation Size: 2x2 (3.25”x2”) Cost: 1x 2x2: $1,050 More info: Cecelia@cnpa.com or call (916) 288-6011 This offer won’t hang around long. Subscribe today! Join us for our annual Christmas Open House Sat., December 14, 2019 9am-4pm Receive 10% off your entire purchase! 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